Meet The Dean

Deidré A. Keller is the dean of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law in Orlando, Florida. Prior to joining FAMU Law, she was the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law where she taught for ten years. Dean Keller’s teaching experience includes Property, Intellectual Property, Law & Literature, Internet Law, Legal Problem Solving & Analysis, Estates, Wills, and Trusts, and The Legal History of Montgomery, Alabama.

Dean Keller writes at the intersections of intellectual property, personhood theory, critical race theory, and the Constitution. Prior to teaching, Keller practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia, with the firms of Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan, LLP and Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. She specialized in intellectual property counseling and procurement, focusing on trademarks and copyrights.

“Professor Deidré Keller is a highly regarded scholar whose leadership vision aligns strongly with FAMU’s strategic priorities and initiatives,” said President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. “We look forward to all of the ‘great things’ the College of Law students, faculty and staff will accomplish under her leadership.”

Keller previously served as the associate dean for Academic Affairs and tenured professor at the Claude W. Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University, in Ada, Ohio, about 63 miles from Toledo. Her academic experience includes teaching a variety of law courses, including subjects such as Property, Intellectual Property, and the Legal History of Montgomery, Alabama.

Her writing is centered on intellectual property, personhood theory and critical race theory. Academically, she strives to evaluate intellectual property while emphasizing racial justice.

Keller worked as an attorney with the law firms Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, LLP, and Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. Her legal expertise includes procurement, registration and enforcement of intellectual property rights. She represented individuals as well as publicly traded companies.

A native of Georgetown, Guyana, Keller grew up in the Bronx, New York. She earned a juris doctor with honors from Emory University School of Law as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology from Yale University.

“Keller’s stellar academic credentials and diverse set of professional experiences in the legal and academic fields made her an ideal candidate for this position,” said Maurice Edington, Ph.D., provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “She has articulated a clear and ambitious vision for the College, and I am confident that she will provide strong, dynamic and transformational leadership as the next dean.”

Keller joined Ohio Northern University in 2010 as an assistant professor of law. She was promoted to full professor with tenure in 2016. In 2018, she was appointed associate dean for Academic Affairs. She also serves as co-chair of the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion commission and vice-chair of the university’s budget and appropriations committee.